About a Miko and an Old Well
by Devious Cookie
Summary: Kagome is being troubled by her dreams. The past and the future mingle in a time paradox and she must make a decision before it's too late.
1. About the Dreams

**Chapter 1 – About the Dreams**

_The dreams began a few months ago, mere days before we agreed to a truce between the groups. _

_First, they were only brief blurry images mixed in between my dreams, generally at dawn, when dreams dance in between consciousness and unconsciousness, just before waking up. Then, they became stronger, clearer and more frequent. Explicit and recurrent images of situations involving our fight, the well, Naraku... They haunt my subconscious and surface almost every time I try to get some rest. Lately it's been near impossible for me to get a deep sleep and every morning I wake up to sensations that leave a bittersweet taste upon my mouth, my stomach, my whole body…_

_But mostly, my dreams are plagued by _him_, and I can't understand why this is happening to me. That's the main reason I decided to begin this diary, this dream journal, in the hopes that writing about them I might get to clarify if they have any meaning at all, although probably they are just the result of the following situations: a) I'm too bored, b) tedium is consuming me (yeap, an ocean of possibilities before me)._

_Still, the fact that some of them are so recurrent is somewhat disturbing. _

_How to explain this… how to put it into words… let's say that four years of the same old crap are just too much. Traveling once and again through the mysterious well, killing demons, searching for the last shards of the jewel, trying to find the elusive Naraku, blah, blah, blah… And, on the other side of the well, trying to build a future for myself, to accomplish my degree (which shouldn't be so difficult at all)… once and again and again… like a never ending story. _

_ The very first year of this "madness" (because I can't find a better name) I thought I was living a great adventure, in spite of all the difficulties, pain and suffering. All those nights under the starry sky with Sango, Miroku, Shippo… and Inuyasha. To say that to me they're like a second family would be unfair, they ARE my family, as much as the one living in present Tokyo. Problem is that the darkest part of this story has overcome everything else. Our relationships can't move forward mostly because our lives, in general, seem to be frozen in time. _

_ Inuyasha and I… well that's funny (to say the least). After Kikyo died (definitely, or that's what we think this far), when finally Inuyasha got to accept the fact that she had disappeared from his life for once and forever, we gave it a try. A relationship doomed from the very beginning. Suddenly I felt Inuyasha more like a good friend (or even a brother) than a lover. Seems to me that, after all that time overshadowed by omnipresent Kikyo, something clicked inside of me and made me realize that Inuyasha's heart was completely out of reach, that I could never turn that void into love for me, and I gradually lost my infatuation so that, when the time came, everything turned into a big failure. And Inuyasha… well, most likely, on his mind always was and always would be Kikyo, so given the circumstances, we felt more uncomfortable in the presence of each other than anything else. _

_ Our first attempts with mature physical life were something completely frustrating for the two of us. After a short time we eluded each other just like oil and water. And so, we decided that our friendship was more important than this farce, that we weren't willing to put it on the line for so little when we had so much to loose. It just didn't work out, and it's funny, after all that time longing to be with him…_

_ So, life here, in Feudal Japan, has become dull and monotone. It's getting far too long to find the damn last jewel shards. We've been traveling blindly through all the country having to fight every demon hungry for blood or the jewel shards (most of the times it's about both things). Well, at least I got to improve my skills. After recovering the part of my soul that was sealed in Kikyo's body, my spiritual powers increased in a certain degree so I can control them somewhat better (though they still have a mind of their own). And it's pretty useful since every damn demon we happen to cross seems eager to engage in battle with us. Lucky me, huh? _

_ Oh yes, demons, that brings me back to the subject, the truce and the dreams. It's not like we are now friends but more like some kind of allies in battle. Sometimes they travel alongside us, sometimes they just disappear again, as if they were never there, but the fact is that the dreams began almost at the same time they decided to join forces. Whether it was casualty or it was fate's plan, I still don't know. I'm planning to write down here every dream and every significant event to see if I can throw some light on the matter (if there's any light to throw, that's it). _

Kagome grunted. It was impossible to concentrate on writing when your backside was hurting like hell. They've been in a cave for hours just to avoid the hard rain but she couldn't stand it anymore. Tedium was killing her as much as the hard rock against her body. She didn't give a damn about the monsoon or the storm, she needed to get out and stretch.

She got up with a hardly suppressed yawn and went to the entrance of the cave ready to give in a cool shower when someone yelled at her:

"Oi, Kagome!"

"I'm gonna go for a walk, Inuyasha."

"Keh, just take care, don't wanna go out in the rain just to save your ass."

_Some friends I have…_

"Whatever" she muttered.

As soon as she stepped outside she felt the water relieving some of her tension as well as her sore muscles. The scent of humidity covered the forest and she began walking aimlessly taking note of the funny noise her shoes produced while sinking in the mud. She was humming a song when suddenly she felt a strong demon's aura. She tensed for a second, ready to run, when she recognized the owner. In fact, she had been dreaming of him a lot lately. She took on the direction of the aura, without even thinking about it. She thought they'd leave for a while but apparently they were already back. Still, it was strange, she couldn't sense nor hear his companions. Just then, she arrived to a clearing. She didn't even notice her own smile. He was standing, back to her, looking impassively at the sky and, just like she supposed, he was alone, his pack nowhere on sight, just him, the demon that plagued most of her dreams, Sesshomaru.

Kagome stared paralyzed as the water trickled down his pristine hair, down his impassive figure and to the tips of his claws from where it poured down to the ground. She knew that he was more than aware of her presence but still, he said nothing, neither did he turn around. And she just stared mesmerized, like in trance, while the water began falling down stronger and heavier on them. She felt as if dreaming, giddy, as if her knees where about to give up and she were to languidly fall to the grass and just… sleep. She was sure she was about to faint when she heard a voice.

"Kagome!"

She turned around, falling out of her reverie.

"Kagome!"

Suddenly Inuyasha burst out of the trees yelling her name.

"Kagome, are you alright?"

"I…" She was about to tell him that his brother was back when she turned to look at him again… and he was gone.

"Kagome? You've been out here alone for hours, I was worried."

Well, they had something in common; Kagome was beginning to worry too.

"Hours? How long…?"

"Tsk, almost two hours, I did not realize you needed time alone so badly, and I didn't want to intrude, but it never took you so long so I…"

"It's ok, Inuyasha, I'm ok." She lied. Hours? She felt as if she'd been alone for only minutes. What was wrong with her? And Sesshomaru? Was she hallucinating? Why did she feel so dizzy, as if she had actually been living a dream? She was going to blurt it all out and panic free when Inuyasha said:

"Have you seen him? Sesshomaru, I mean. I've felt his presence near you but it was gone when I arrived here."

Kagome let out a breath she didn't knew she was holding. So he had actually _been_ there. Well, that was somewhat comforting. Maybe he was just on his way, after all, she never felt nor saw Rin, Jaken or Kohaku around.

"No, I haven't" There was no use in telling Inuyasha the truth, what was she supposed to say? _"Yes, I've seen him, or more like I've stared at his back seemingly for hours and then he has just disappeared."_

She concluded that she just needed some rest, or maybe a home trip. She only hoped that she wasn't about to spend just another night dreaming of him.

* * *

><p><em>Ever since that day we haven't heard nor seen a flick of his person. And damn we had been in need of his lordly assistance. We've just experienced one of the worst weeks in months. It was as if someone was sending us hordes and hordes of demons with the only purpose of extenuating our little group. Well, his first name's letter is N, place your bets! Damn jewel shards seem to be so out of our reach we hardly got to sniff them in months and the great bastard Naraku is won't show his face just so that we can wipe his hideous smile out of it. <em>

_I'm so tired… Honestly, it's not the first time I think about it: to hell with this. I should find a way to seal the well and disappear forever. However, my stupid sense of duty has apparently other plans for me so, after one hour of discussing where the hell we should be heading next, Miroku concluded that going back was the best course of action. Of course Inuyasha threw a tantrum and asked him where the heck had he been the last week and if he had sent us that raccoon friend he had. I don't blame Inuyasha, he does most of the fighting so I imagine this was a pretty horrible week also for him, but what Miroku said next threw us almost instantly on the way: what if there's a reason for so many demons attacking us in so short period of time? Why was Naraku so intent on expelling us from those territories? So now we're back on our way, back to the western lands, which reminds me, the dreams. _

_First ones were about us, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku... Sometimes we were walking or camping, as we're right now, waiting for the night to pass, sometimes we were fighting. It started to get sinister when I dreamt of Sesshomaru coming to fight us and, the next day, he showed off and fought _with_ us against a pack of particularly vicious bear demons. That was the day we agreed to the truce. _

_Inuyasha wasn't very happy to hear about it but it was profitable for all members. Sesshomaru admitted that, not having a shard detector in his little group was slowing his search for Naraku down, mostly because the better chances to get him where the ones that had the jewel involved, (or a shard, lacking that). Everybody had something to win with this agreement but Inuyasha, even if we were not traveling together all the time. Sesshomaru got his shard detector, (or the trouble attractor, as I like to describe myself; it's not that I feel happy about any of the nicknames but, after all this years, I have resigned myself because, well, that was what my powers do). When they come along with us I have more time for myself to train and improve some abilities mostly because Shippo is now more occupied playing with Rin. Shippo got Rin and Rin got Shippo and that is a good thing for kids and for adults. Jaken has more eyes to look upon Rin, and that gives him some rest. Sango got Kohaku and, although he is loyal to Sesshomaru, she is more than happy to have him near. Miroku has more time to spend with Sango. Now that she has Kohaku by her side she feels more relaxed and so she lets some of his advances on her (still, she has to stop the perverted ones every now and then). _

_Inuyasha now, on the other hand, has to: share his shard detector, tolerate his brother's presence, and worst of all, now that Shippo is so occupied playing with Rin, he is not able to vent his frustrations on him. Finally he accepted because I convinced him about some thing called democracy wining even before he had his mouth opened. He did not understand "this democracy thing" as he thoroughly told me, and he reminded me that I should be more wary than anyone since Sesshomaru had tried to kill me several times. _

_It is true, but he had saved my life more times than he had tried to kill me (probably with an ulterior motive, as Sesshomaru always has one when good will is involved) and I had to remind Inuyasha that he also tried to kill me when we met so he "keh'ed" and, reluctantly, he let go._

_Maybe he was right, maybe I should be wary, but how could I when he keeps Rin and now Kohaku by his side? How could I when he protects those kids with his life? _

_That night they stayed with us and I dreamt again about us fighting each other but, this time, we were alone, it was me against him and I knew I didn't have a chance. From that night on, the dreams began to be riddled by his presence. _

_It's not like we talk in my dreams, most of the times we're just in the same scenery without exchanging any word. Sometimes, in the dreams, he becomes violent, as the former Sesshomaru, the one I met four years ago, the one who fought us constantly, but somehow, I know his violence is directed at me for very concrete reasons, nothing involving Inuyasha or his sword. And then, there are these other dreams, the weirdest ones, in which he shows himself confident towards me even without saying a word, the ones that suggest a relationship between us (of which kind I'm not sure) and I just don't get where all of this is coming from because, well, we have no relationship whatsoever. _

_He barely speaks with anyone unless he has an order for Jaken or a word for Rin or Kohaku. He maintains himself always a fair distance away from the rest of the group, both, if he's walking in the front or the rear, and some nights he's not even in sight of the camp area. Of course, he is always vigilant, but unless there's a danger Inuyasha or I can't sense, he rarely intervenes in our decisions. Sango is probably the most wary of us, but she is also grateful that he somehow takes care of Kohaku (in his own way), so she simply stays out of his way. Miroku tries from time to time to raise a conversation with the demon lord. Most of the times is like talking to a brick wall, but I have to give the pervert a credit for, every once in a while, Sesshomaru finds the talk endearing enough to share one or two thoughts. But that's the whole of it, of course, and Miroku knows better than to press anyone (less "this Sesshomaru"), so he just goes back to his spot at Sango's side and continues his routines. Inuyasha is an entirely different matter. He doesn't like him around, and when he stays more than a few days with the group his mood grows edgy. _

_As for me, I try to be myself the whole time. The most difficult part is avoiding speaking about the future with my friends but, for the rest, well, I happen to have a strong personality so I don't fail very often at being myself. Usually I walk in front of the group, trying to sense jewel shards, or at the rear, walking and chatting with the kids, so it's not strange that Sesshomaru and I walk close. Still, he never answers me if I ask something, never talks to me unless there's a certain necessity… he barely acknowledges my presence. I realize that I'm not Sesshomaru's cup of tea, neither of us really is, and I probably fall under the derogatory category of worthless human in his eyes, and that's exactly what has me reeling. It's true that Rin and I have grown very fond of each other, and maybe that makes him look at me with a little deference (very little, by the way), but still… we've never had any real conversation, I haven't even tried, (it's not like he has a friendly look all over him). I don't appreciate his cold and demeaning behavior and I can't even categorize him as a friend of mine, but the dreams always leave me wondering and now that we're approaching his lands I can't help but wonder if they will show up and join us again... _

Kagome closed her notebook with a yawn. Miroku, Sango and Shippo where already asleep. She tried to spot Inuyasha but he was nowhere on sight. Just when she was about to get up and search for him he jumped from his tree perch right to her side.

"Geez, Inuyasha, don't do that."

"Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you."

"It's ok… I'm so tired." Kagome scrambled to her sleeping bag. It was too hot to get into it but she still preferred to use it as a mattress other than to sleep directly on the forest floor. No amount of years in the feudal era had made her less wary of insects so she used the poor protection she had.

Inuyasha watched her and positioned himself against the closest tree.

"You should have been sleeping by now. What kept you up?"

"I was all too awake to even try."

"Are you worried?"

"Well, I am, but no more than any other day. I'm ok, really."

"Do you have another one of your tests soon?"

Oh, yes, she had told him that she was studying so that he wouldn't ask about her journal.

"Ahhhh… not too soon, but I need to study anyways"

That seemed to throw him off.

"Don't worry, you'll do it perfectly. I just… I thought you were worried over something important."

"Well, thanks Inuyasha, my future _is_ indeed important."

"Sorry, sorry, I thought it was something else."

Inuyasha never saw her studies as something important for her, but then again, Inuyasha lived five hundred years in the past, what could he possibly know of how things had changed, specially for women in her era? Still, he had made a point, she was worried about something more important, or at least, something that had her mind more occupied than necessary, but there was no need to inform him of that. Kagome fell asleep with a smile on her face, thinking how would Inuyasha react if she were to tell him about her dreams with his brother.

* * *

><p>AN: At this point, if you are reading this, it must mean that you read the whole chapter so, thank you very much for staying. I hope you liked it. I just wanted to point out that english is not my first language so, if you like what you've read so far and you are a good beta reader and desperately want to do some editing, please, just please, send me a pm. I'll appreciate it.


	2. About beginnings

I realized I didn't say anything about me or the story in the first chapter. Sorry, I should have done this before, I just wanted to post the chapter and be rid of it.

Just to clarify a few points and questions you might have:

1. I had to split the first chapter in three. It was waaaay too long. So if you feel like nothing's happening... well, it will.

2. This is going to be a long story with long chapters. I can't specify yet, but that it's a fact. I'm not throwing Sesshomaru and Kagome together just like that. It takes time to develop a plot and a romance, especially between these two characters. So, yes, there is a plot, if you were wondering about that XD

3. I need a beta. Desperately. I'm Spanish (you can find more information about it on my profile) and thus my grammar, spelling and vocabulary can be sometimes lacking (way to sell my story) so please, go to my profile and, if you're up for the challenge, then what the hell are you waiting for! PM me now.

4. I'm working hard at a company and on my portfolio at the same time so that, as soon as I can, I leave this country. So... that means I will not be posting chapters everyday or every week. Of course, everything would be easier with a beta, but still, I can't promise you regular updates. I apologize about that. I hope that doesn't deter you from reading (if my horrible writing hasn't already accomplished that).

5. Yes, reviews are welcome, as well as constructive criticism. So please, feel free to comment, in fact, just do it! I'd love to know what you think!

I'll be happy to answer any questions you have. Thanks for reading :)

**Standard disclaimers apply.**

**Chapter 2 – About Beginnings**

Gods weren't merciful, gods were laughing in their faces. No trace of the hordes of demons that seemed to be chasing them, no trace of Naraku (as if), and what Kagome thought worst of all, no trace of Sesshomaru. She got this idea (because she was running out of them) that when he wasn't with them, the dreams were more persistent, so she was pretty cranky right now, mostly because she hadn't been able to have a good sleep in what seemed like forever. The entire group was fairly frustrated by the whole situation. Maybe their assumptions were wrong (Kagome took a mental note not to always follow blindly Miroku's advices), maybe all those demons had the solely purpose of extenuating them and had nothing to do with Naraku's whereabouts. Now they were surely tired and had no idea where to go from there. Kagome thought that they where probably living the most miserable moments of their entire journey and the summer heat wasn't helping one little bit to make them feel better.

They made a stop to rest and eat something, although no one was very hungry at the moment. They all needed a vacation, a week of rest, and she needed to see her family. The problem was that they didn't know how to tell it to Inuyasha.

"I'll go get some water"

Kagome took two empty bottles from her backpack and followed the sound of water to a nearby river. It was just too hot. She buried her hands in the cold water and splashed some of it in her face. She lifted her hair and put some more water in the nape of her neck. It felt good trickling down her spine.

She was about to fill the bottles when the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. A very strong, very powerful demonic aura surrounded the forest and a sickening scent hit her nose. Almost instantly she dropped the bottles and began running to the clearing where her friends were while tensing an arrow on her bow. She recognized this smell all too well. When she arrived to the clearing she took note of two things: first one, Naraku (or more likely one of his puppets disguised in his baboon pelt) was attacking her friends; the second one was that at the same time she had, Sesshomaru arrived to the clearing.

The puppet shot out his tentacles while mocking her friends, but he hadn't seen her. Kagome tried to approach as discreetly as possible. Inuyasha and the rest were too busy fighting the thing to notice her presence but Kagome thought that, for a brief moment, Sesshomaru had looked directly to the place where she was hiding. But now was not the time to think about reunions so she kept on approaching till she got to a point where she could optimize her aim without betraying her position. She studied the puppet. The immobile point of its body, that's where she had to shoot. The puppet wasn't being exactly easy on her friends. For each tentacle they cut two more grew so it was getting difficult to avoid them. She concentrated and repositioned her shoulders to the right angle. If she failed her aim, it was going to be as if screaming: "hey! Look! I'm just here!" so she had only one chance to do it right. The fact that Sesshomaru seemed to be waiting for her to take into action made very little to calm her nervousness. Finally Kagome hold her breath. "The neck" she murmured to herself, and suddenly her arrow was tearing off the wind with a whistle. It was too late when the puppet saw it, it just didn't have time to react, turned its head to her when the arrow hit its neck and her spiritual energy disintegrated it, leaving only a trail of tentacles on the ground.

She released a sigh of relieve. At least she didn't make a poor impression on Sesshomaru (although she didn't know why should she care). Instinctively she searched for him with her eyes and was surprised to see him approaching her, sword at hand, with all his demon speeding.

"Ohhh, shit" she muttered.

At the same time that something took a vicious hold of her leg, Sesshomaru took her by the waist cutting the tentacle that was trying to climb and pierce into her body. Her brain decided to stop as they elevated from the ground. He had saved her and her friends several times but never, ever, did he touch them or her. It was an all too alien sensation, but what had Kagome's mind reeling was the strong feeling of déjà vu, the fact that she thought she had lived this before…

Just when she was about to thank him, Sesshomaru turned his head to look at her and Kagome saw, much to her despair, the brim of his eyes turning crimson red. For a moment she thought of Inuyasha's words and how she should have listened but as soon as it came it was gone and they landed on the grass. Sesshomaru turned to his pack that was entering the clearing in that exact moment. Kagome was too shocked to think of anything else (maybe she was holding too tight onto him?) and she didn't realize that her friends were staring at her disbelievingly.

Finally someone decided to break the silence.

"Kagome," She turned her head to the voice of her dear friend "your leg's bleeding."

"Oh" was all Kagome could muster.

She thought of how unfair she was when she wrote down that her life was boring. She would have to cross out that part later.

* * *

><p>That night the two groups made camp together. They had just decided to make their way back to Kaede's village to rest for a while and to let Kagome go and visit her neglected family. After what happened that day they didn't even have to make an effort to convince Inuyasha, who usually put on a verbal fight when they talked about rest.<p>

Kagome was so tired she didn't even have dinner that night. Just told the kids a story (they loved that) and promised them they would play games in the morning before falling soundly asleep. Soon they all followed.

It was well past midnight when she woke up violently. She was sweating and her mouth was dry. It took a moment for her to take on her surroundings and remember where she was.

She reached for her bottle but it seemed the kids had already emptied it. She sighed, she would have to make a trip to the river but she wasn't sure her legs were ready to oblige.

Shippo was sleeping close to her, as always, with a half eaten candy on his hand. Rin wasn't too far herself, and Kohaku was near the girl, with his hand closed around his weapon, always ready to protect her if the time came. Jaken was a few feet away from them, also clutching to the staff of two heads, although Kagome thought that it was more likely for Sesshomaru to kill any intruder before the poor imp had time to react. On the other side of the camp where Sango and Miroku sleeping close to each other, with Kirara in the middle of the two of them (probably there for good reasons) and Inuyasha, as always, on the highest branch of a nearby tree. Kagome thought it was odd how she seemed to be more part of Sesshomaru's pack than her own. Speaking of which, he seemed, as usual, to be nowhere in sight. Kagome suspected Sesshomaru wasn't a good sleeper either himself.

She finally decided that it was now or never, so she got up stretching her legs silently. Usually someone in the camp would have woken with the sound of her steps. Tonight even Inuyasha seemed to be too far in the realm of dreams. Too bad her dreams weren't the comforting kind. She took her bottle, her notebook and a flashlight. She wanted to write it down before it was too late and she forgot it, but she didn't want to wake anybody up with the light so she thought of taking the water and staying close to the river which wasn't too far from the camp.

She kneeled down by the river's shore. The performance was pretty similar to the one just hours before. She splashed water all over her face to clean the sweat and then she put some water on the back of her neck and her mouth. She filled the bottle and stood to search for a good spot in the grass. The second she turned around to look for it her eyes met a demon just a few inches away from her face. She opened her mouth to scream but no noise came out of it as she tripped over a rock and fell on her ass, the water falling all over her shirt. Soon her fear was replaced with blind ire.

"Holy shit, Sesshomaru! That took a few years of my life."

He merely raised an eyebrow at her watching as she struggled to rise from the ground.

"Damn it! You know? I'm mortal, and human, I don't have a lot of them."

She didn't expect him to say anything. Most of the times he was mere monosyllables, if he deemed worthy to talk at all. It almost made her fall again when she heard his voice.

"It's not this Sesshomaru's fault if your human senses can't function properly."

Of course, what was she waiting, an apology from the mighty Sesshomaru?

"Well, as you've said, my human senses aren't as highly developed as yours so, next time, I'd really appreciate if you were to make some noise while approaching."

"Human, I did not approach, I was here all the time."

She rolled her eyes and decided to ignore that last comment. It was futile to discuss with Sesshomaru and he was being talkative to her for the first time in her life so she wasn't about to break whatever spell he was under for the shake of a lost battle. Kagome put her hand over her heart in a vain attempt to calm it. She noticed then her soaked shirt. With a frustrated sigh she sat by a tree wringing it. Sesshomaru stood there looking at the night sky with his back to her. Kagome contemplated going back to camp and forget about writing the dream till morning came, but the mood to sleep was already ruined, so she decided to ignore Sesshomaru and stay there. Anyways, he would probably leave soon as he never stayed close to humans that weren't Rin for too long.

Finally, Kagome opened her notebook. She hesitated upon using her flashlight or not, but noticing that it would probably raise unwanted questions from Sesshomaru she decided upon keeping it hidden and write in darkness. It wasn't the first time, she'll just have to deal with the horrible handwriting lately.

_Naraku attacked us today with one of his puppets, again. He's keeping track of the shards but we still don't know where the vermin's hiding and I still have these dreams._

_There is blood. Lots of it. I don't know if it's mine, cause I don't feel any physical pain, or whose blood it is, but I'm standing in a pool of life fluid. Then there are blurry images and hazy sounds. The next thing I know is I'm falling deeper and deeper in a black abyss and the following words hang in the air: "Go back to where you belong". I don't even know if they're directed towards me or whoever says them. That part is very confusing. I still have to put to test that theory of mine and see if the dreams somehow calm down when he is near. At least tonight it wasn't about him. Speaking of whom…_

Kagome saw something white moving towards her from the corner of her eye. When "it" stopped almost above her she closed her journal and looked up. She knew for a fact his sight was far better than hers and she didn't want him to read, not especially when he was part of the subject. She wasn't sure if he would even deem it worth it to pry on human affairs, but she wasn't ready to test that theory right now.

He was looking down at her with a blank expression on his face.

"Is there anything you want, Sesshomaru?" She'd thought that he would have left by now.

Sesshomaru didn't answer immediately. After looming over her person for a while he talked.

"I'm impressed, miko. This Sesshomaru has traveled all around the country for centuries and still has to see another human female with abilities such as reading and writing."

Kagome gulped. Of course there were very few women, even men, in this era that could do it and of course he knew that. He was implying something else and she didn't like one bit the turn of the conversation.

"Well, seems I'm educated."

"It seems so, indeed." He answered smoothly.

He had a dark look on his face (or maybe it was just an effect of the moonlight?). He was up to something but being the patient kind Sesshomaru was, she knew he would wait for the perfect moment to return this conversation to her. Right now he wasn't pressing things and she thanked him quietly because she was shackled by her own "democracy".

Her antics, her clothes, her strange objects… it was bound to happen sooner or later. Sesshomaru wasn't stupid, and that's how she explained things to her friends. She had wanted to tell him when they made the alliance, mostly because when they were together at Kaede's village Kagome wasn't able to jump through the well to her house and that was making her life more difficult (a whole lot more than it already was). But Inuyasha didn't want to hear about it and this time, her friends were on his side, the later he found, the better. So she wasn't about to blurt it all out right now, even if she wanted. In any case, her friends were right about one thing, she didn't have to explain herself to him. She just wanted to do it so that she could come and go more freely now that they were on "friendly" terms.

Kagome fidgeted with the still damp seam of her shirt. Shesshomaru returned to stare at nothing in particular and she thought it a good moment to leave. She was about to return to the camp when she heard his voice again.

"A nightmare, human?"

Kagome turned her head to look at him but he was still looking at the sky.

"What…"

"You were sleeping. Something must have awakened you."

"Mm… I… was thirsty, so I came to fill my bottle with water from the river."

"Hn."

That was all he said. Kagome thought it odd of Sesshomaru to ask such a thing but she dismissed it when she caught sight of her sleeping bag. She really was tired by now so she lied down waiting for sleep to take her again.

Really, this must have been the longest conversation she ever had with the youkai.

By the river, a pair of amber eyes regarded suspiciously a discarded bottle.

* * *

><p><em>Five days with my family. That's all I've been able to put up with. I must admit, I'm no longer used to their company. <em>

_My little brother isn't so little anymore and now he belongs to that age in which boys grow apart from their sisters probably never to return. My grandpa is just like always, only worst. I suppose the years must haven taken their toll on him, each time I come back home he's determined to teach me sutras to repel demons, the same sutras he placed on the well on my fifteenth birthday only to be broken by the first lesser demon that smelled the jewel. I know it sounds cute but he's always pestering me and I need a break. _

_Fortunately, my mom is always there. She's this family's main axis and we cling to her for dear life. If it weren't for her understanding I wouldn't be here now, at the other side of the well, five hundred years in the past. _

_I must say, however, that the dreams have not left me while I was home. If something, I've noticed that they are increasingly becoming longer and more frequent, but still difficult to describe, as they seem to be only images after images that don't make any sense at all. _

_There's one that has been repeating itself lately. I'm in the street, walking aimlessly, humming a song that I can never remember when I wake up, when I see silver hair. I begin running towards it but it's always the same distance away from me. I eventually give up, since I can't reach it, and suddenly, where the white hair stood, Naraku appears extending his claws and tentacles at me. "I'll destroy you," he says. Then I wake up. _

_Apparently it's not enough that he wants us dead in real life but now he has to haunt me also in my dreams, and in my time, to top it all. So much for a peaceful sleep._

_But now we have more pressing problems at hand. Kaede is sick and, although I'm not an expert, I'm 95% sure she's got pharyngitis. Now, were she a young woman this wouldn't be so important, but we must remember Kaede is well past her sixties and it could be dangerous for her if the thing got complicated. That's how I tried to explain my friends that it would be better for all of us if I were to go home and fetch the appropriate medicines but, as Sesshomaru is around the village again, they don't want me jumping through the well. They insist I must rely on the natural medicines of this era and I can't get through their hard skulls the idea that if medicine developed to the ways it is today is for a good damn reason. _

_So I'm stuck, pissed and worried. Imagine how the hell my dreams are going to improve in this situation…_

"I'm beginning to see the holes in the whole democratic scheme."

The day was at its end. The light was fading little by little and with it some of the vicious heat. Still, nights brought little comfort when the summer was at its highest point.

Kagome cleaned some of the sweat that had been building up on her face with a small towel and decided it was time to go and check on Kaede. She rose from the ground and took a longing look down the well before turning with a sigh towards the village, completely unaware of the presence on the other side of the clearing.

It wasn't long till she felt someone approaching her. Worry written all over his face Shippo finally made his appearance.

"Kagome! Kagome, you must come now!"

She rushed through the forest readying her bow, when suddenly she came to a halt at the sight of her friends talking with a familiar demon.

"Kagome nee-chan!"

She furrowed her brow giving a questioning glance to her friends while the wolf almost launched on her person.

"Ginta, what are you…"

Before she could finish Ginta began to blurt it all out while shaking her shoulders.

"You must help him Nee-chan. He's gonna die, she'll kill him, she'll kill us all, and Naraku will have the shards and…"

"Ginta, please, can you calm down? Who are you talking about? Where's Hakaku? And Kouga, for that matter?"

"I had to leave Hakaku with him and take a detour to find you. A few days ago, some wolves from our pack came back from their patrolling. Apparently they had seen the wind sorceress, Kagura, not too far from our territories. Kouga went mad and said it was time to get revenge and took us all after her. If he continues traveling at his speed he will reach the place where she was seen by tomorrow evening and we really fear what might happen then. I have a bad feeling about this, you have to help him!"

Miroku approached her with stern features.

"Something's wrong. Why would Kagura all of a sudden appear on their lands? We hadn't got a whiff of her and Naraku for months now and she just decides to show at the place where probably she's most hated."

Indeed something was very wrong.

"It's a trap." Kagome stated. Ginta's eyes widened and searched hers for an answer. It was Inuyasha who spoke next.

"Naraku has finally decided to get the shards."

Kagome turned her attention to him. They knew this day was coming, still, damn Kouga had to go and throw himself in the arms of death.

"He can't fight them alone. He can't even fight her alone Inuyasha."

"Keh! So the mangy wolf has a death wish. Why do I have to go and save his sorry ass?"

"Because he's our friend."

"He might be _your _friend, but he is definitely not mine."

He could be so dense sometimes.

"So, are you really telling me you're letting Naraku have those two shards?"

"Feh! I didn't say anything like that wench!" He turned to Ginta "Where's Kouga now? How long will it take us to reach him?"

"If we leave now, more than half a day, maybe less at good speed."

Inuyasha turned to stare fully at her.

"I'm going, and I'm going to retrieve those shards Kagome, whether he likes it or not. It's past time he gave them to you."

Kagome nodded. Miroku and Sango took their weapons and readied Kirara for the ride. Kagome retrieved her backpack and was ready to jump onto Inuyasha's shoulders when he said:

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"What?" She was too stunned to manage anything else.

"You stay here with Shippo and take care of Kaede."

"What…? What the heck are you talking about Inuyasha?"

"We need to travel by air if we want to have a chance at catching up with him. Five people are too much for Kirara's back."

"But… why me? What if Naraku shows up? You expect me to stay here arms folded while you fight him? And what's now with Kaede? Suddenly you're so worried about her? Maybe I should go home once and for all and…"

"Stop!"

She was almost shouting. Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head to avoid damage to his sensitive hearing. He caught her wrist and took her apart from the group.

"_He_'s close."

"I know he's close, I'm a damn miko, I can sense him and I can tell you, right now, I don't give a damn if he hears me."

"Tsk, that's not the point Kagome. I don't want you coming this time. This is a trap, we all know that, but there's something more to it that I can't quite point, and my instincts are telling me that you should stay here."

"I could care less about your instincts Inuyasha. Are you really telling me that you might be fighting Naraku alone? Or maybe you're back at the whole worthless human thing?"

Inuyasha took her hand in his.

"It's neither of that. And you know I'm very far from considering you worthless. Besides, I don't think Naraku's showing, the bastard never shows when there's a chance of him getting injured and, there is, but still…"

Kagome was calmer by now but she didn't like it when Inuyasha sounded so serious, it always meant bad things happening.

"But still?"

He sighed. "Still, it feels wrong. That bastard could have something at hand with all of this. I want you to trust me and stay here with the jewel shards. I don't want him, Kagura or any other of his minions near them nor you."

Kagome sighed and leaned onto him until her forehead touched his.

"I'll be worried sick. Heck, I'm already worried sick. Please, don't let anything bad happen to him. And don't let anything bad happen to you. Promise me."

"I promise." He took a step back to look her in the eyes. "However, if he reaches Kagura before we are able to find him, you must prepare for the worst."

He released her hand and took his leave with his friends and Ginta. Sango shouted something from the air to her friend that sounded like "we'll be back!"

With that they disappeared from her sight.

Kagome stood paralyzed for a minute. Suddenly everything was so quiet. Shippo had gone back to the hut. Kohaku was also there, and Jaken and Sesshomaru were nowhere on sight, though she could feel the later at the edge of her senses. The night was hot and the air was humid; tomorrow would be sunny and hot like hell on earth.

She was about to retire and make some dinner when she heard someone's breathing. She turned around but there was nobody there. Still, the breathing was heavy. She approached the line of trees where she thought the sound was coming and saw the hem of Rin's kimono behind a tree.

"Rin?"

"Are they gone?" She sounded different, almost _scared_, she thought. But Rin was never scared.

"Yes? Are you ok Rin? Come here."

Rin went out of her hiding place giving doubtful and insecure steps, looking everywhere around her. Kagome knelt down to be at the girl's level.

"What's the matter Rin?"

"He was a wolf."

"Ginta? Yes, he was. Is there something wrong with that?"

Rin nodded and Kagome could see fear written in her face.

"Where you afraid of him?"

A nod again.

"Is it because… he's a stranger to you or… because he's a wolf?"

"I don't like wolves. They scare me." Her little voice was trembling.

"Why are you scared of them?"

"Because they killed me."

Kagome's eyes went wide in shock. She was about to ask the little girl when she heard someone's voice behind her.

"Rin, enough. Go with Jaken."

The girl smiled at him an obeyed with alacrity.

Kagome stood up and turned to look Sesshomaru in the eye. Could this really mean what she was thinking?

But if she expected to have an insight of it in the demon's face she was very wrong. The only thing there was his bored expression. He merely spent a glance at her and then left walking to the other side of the clearing.

* * *

><p><em>Again I run. My legs are sore from running and my heart beats faster and faster. I run through the streets of Tokyo. I'm feeling haunted…, no, <em>I'm being_ haunted. I never turn around to see where is this presence that comes after me, I can feel it, and that's enough to make me run till my lungs are burning. Suddenly, the scenery changes, my feet no longer hit the ground and I find myself falling from the night sky, the stars shining careless above me, and a green glow surrounding my body. I can't find my voice to scream but I notice I don't even want to. Strangely enough, I feel at peace, even knowing death is waiting for me, with the excruciating pain of a fall such as that, and just then I've waken up. _

_My heart still beats like a drum. Instinctively I've searched for Inuyasha. Instead, I've met Sesshomaru's eyes. Tonight is the closest I've ever seen him within the camp area. He's resting his back against a tree not very far from me. _

_I suspect this has to do with the fact that the others are not here; he might want to be closer to Rin. He's looking at me, probably because he can hear my heart (or because I'm writing again, in the middle of the night, no less), but his facade is as blank as always... _

_I wonder how he does that… I mean, I'm quite sure my face betrays me almost every minute of my existence. Practice? Huh, I guess I can try. _

Kagome dropped her pen and notebook. Even outside was hot. She took her small towel and cleaned the sweat from her brow. She took a look around her. The kids were sleeping close to each other and Ah-Un snored near them. It was kind of funny how the beast seemed to be so attached to the little girl, but then again…

Kagome turned to look at Sesshomaru. He was _staring_ at her, as if he could read her thoughts.

She stood up. Maybe it was time to check again on Kaede.

* * *

><p>She was trying desperately not to think of her friends and she had reached one final conclusion: she sucked at it. It was so unnerving she was even pondering taking her books out and study a bit to avoid thinking of them. But it was also hot. Too hot to try, probably her brain would end up melting. <em>Wonder if some neurons aren't already dead… <em>Today the sun was unforgiving, no promise of rain in the air. The cicadas were crying out loud, their songs the only sound filling the air. Jaken was under the shade of a tree snoozing. Kohaku was practicing with his weapon while Rin and Shippo sat looking at him uninterested. She really couldn't blame them. It was so hot it hurt even watching. They guy didn't even stop when Sesshomaru approached Rin and told her that she should go and take a bath.

_A bath! Why haven't it occurred to me?_

She took her backpack with resolution and went to the kids.

"That's it! Rin, Shippo, why don't we go and play in the river? I have a ball, we could have fun."

"That sounds like a plan to me!" said the little kitsune jumping from the ground to her shoulder.

Sesshomaru raised an elegant eyebrow at her as if telling her that this was his whole idea. Kagome decided to ignore him, he was always doing that to her, and ask Kohaku.

"Kohaku?"

The guy stopped throwing the weapon to acknowledge her. He turned in her direction but kept his eyes on the ground. Sesshomaru regarded the exchange with mild interest.

"We are going to swim for a while. You wanna come?"

"Thanks, but I prefer staying here."

Kagome watched silently as Kohaku retrieved his weapon from the bark of the offended tree and began to fling it again with renewed vigor. Then she headed towards the river.

The kids were splashing water the minute they arrived.

"Careful, ok?" she shouted. Kagome hid behind a bush and changed her sticking clothes to her swimwear. She felt relieved the minute her feet touched the water.

"Kami, this is so good…"

She swam a little (as much as the length of the pond allowed her) and watched peacefully as the kids played. By now, Inuyasha and the others must have already reached Kouga. She was hoping they'd found him before he'd find Kagura. That would make things much easier. Better, let it all be a misunderstanding, or Kagura just really passing by… But if Kagura was still there, if reality where to smash her hopes, like it always did… well, who knew how many minions could be waiting for them?

Gosh, she was so angry… and worried. Her stomach was in tied in knots. Since when did they leave her waiting behind? Never ever. Even when she was a mess with the bow she always partook in fights, and hell if she hadn't saved their asses in more than one handful of occasions. To top it all she was left with the kids, an adolescent who couldn't look her in the eye, a sick woman, a twit of a retainer and a haughty demon lord who was all-too-good to acknowledge her. She was fuming when she was supposed to cool down, literally.

Shippo closed the distance between them and took on her worried expression. He knew why she was anxious but he also knew that, if Inuyasha left her in the village, there was a good reason to do so. He never left her side, and the funny thing was that they all thought it was Kagome who never left him. How wrong they all were, but then again, adults never saw things with perspective. He decided that the least they could do was try to distract her. Locking glances with Rin they plotted silently. Next thing Kagome knew was that something hard had collided with her head taking her out of her reverie.

"Ouch! What…"

It took her long enough to elaborate what had happened when she saw the kids laughing at her from the shore. The ball was still floating around her also mockingly.

"You!" She pointed an accusatory finger at the kids. They laughed even more until they saw the smirk in her face "are… going… to… suffer!" Rin released a shriek and they were on the run with a "not very well intended" Kagome hot on their tracks.

She knew she was being childish but she deserved some fun for a change and she was going to enjoy every little bit of what she could get. Kagome could hear Shippo shouting: "Split up!"

_Ah… so they are using that strategy…_

She could feel Shippo's aura closer to her. Kagome ran through the trees and then turned right into a clearing with high grass. She was following the tree line at the edge of the clearing when suddenly she stumbled and all air was taken from her lungs. She gasped when she felt a sharp pain in her right palm, where she had obviously relied on most of her weight. It wasn't until she looked at her hand in the ground that she saw what she had stumbled upon, or who. The white garment was unmistakable.

She began fumbling around with her hands, not knowing where to put them to lean on. She was sprawled… all over him. She tried to find her voice but, for once in her life, she didn't know what to say. She managed to get to a sitting position and, when she finally gathered the courage to apologize, she met his eyes. Almost instantly her words died on her throat. Golden eyes so penetrating and so inscrutable, but over all, so deadly. Her mouth went dry. She was dripping wet, dressed in only her bikini and shorts. She felt as her whole body went stiff and flushed against his.

Sesshomaru watched amused as her face changed from one emotion to another and then another in merely seconds. Finally she decided to talk.

"My…a… I… I'm so… sor"

"Human, you will remove yourself from my person this instant."

All blood was drained from Kagome's face to return again with a fierce. Why did he have to make it sound as if it was her sole intention to assault his person? Since they'd decided to agree to this alliance she had done nothing but to respect the distance he so eagerly put between him and the rest of the group, his aloofness and his ridiculous mightiness. She had taken care of Rin, Kohaku and even Jaken. She had tried to be nice to him even when her dreams about him were driving her mad. She deserved some respect and by all means she was going to get it.

"Well, I wasn't exactly planning to lunge at you, Sesshomaru. As you're so prone to remind me, I'm human, whilst you are a demon. I'm sure my _humanly_ running towards you sounded to your _youkai_ ears much like a stampeding army of animals, so _this human_ could safely assume you could have simply removed your person from were you stood with your _youkai_ speed and avoided the collision."

He had to admit that she, in fact, had a point. He'd heard her, smelled her, her presence was always… _overwhelming. _Her miko aura cracked against his senses too much to be ignored. But he was resting there and he was bored. So maybe some part of him didn't want to avoid her. Of course he didn't know the turn of events would leave her in such a compromising position. Had it been any other human (except for Rin, of course), or any other being at all, he would have simply removed its head for the audacity. However, there were so many things about this human girl that piqued his curiosity that he felt willing to spare her life in order to entertain himself.

"Woman, this Sesshomaru was under the impression that you were a miko, are you not?"

Kagome flinched momentarily. It was true, she was a miko, and it was true, maybe it was, that sometimes she wasn't very concentrated on catching auras, but she was constantly surrounded by demons so, most of the times she wasn't exactly broadcasting her powers. However, she suspected that Sesshomaru hid his aura more than he cared to acknowledge, like that night by the river. Of course she new how futile would be to throw that accusation to the demon lord. He would deny it and the conversation would return to the worthless human miko rant. So she opted for the only thing she could think of at that moment. She blushed angrily and excused herself to retain what little dignity was left of her.

"Well, _sorry_, I was chasing after the kids. It never occurred to me that you would be lying here."

"Your poor techniques at hunting are unamusing."

"My… excuse me? When did I say hunting? I said chasing."

"Hn. And just _who_ do you think you were chasing?"

The question confused her.

"Well, it's obvious, I was chasing Shippo. He…"

"You're a bigger fool than I previously thought you were if you are so easily tricked by that kitsune's magic."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll show you, miko. You were chasing this."

Sesshomaru extended his hand. Kagome frowned and took the spinning top into her own. It was one of Shippo's, and of course it was impregnated with his own aura. But…

"I wasn't chasing this thing."

"Weren't you?"

He was beginning to sound too condescending to Kagome's liking.

"No. I'm sure. I may have skipped your aura but I can recognize Shippo's perfectly. Even if this thing belongs to him I still can make the difference."

"Really, miko? Then explain to me how I got this." He said pointing at the spinning top. "I'm surprised you have lasted so long being so untrained. Also, one might wonder why, after asking you to remove yourself, you choose to remain over this Sesshomaru while so scarcely dressed."

Kagome was beyond mortified. Even if she'd stayed by the river all day long sunbathing she wouldn't be as red as she now was. The fact that she had remained oblivious to the group of people gathering around them until now wasn't helping either. She stood as quickly as she could, resisting the urge to slap away the smug expression from Sesshomaru's face.

"Well, Sesshomaru, of one thing I'm sure, and that is that I survived _you_. On several occasions. That must count as something."

She turned around and headed nowhere with determined steps while Jaken and the kids looked incredulous at the scene.

Jaken was sure his master was going to do something drastic when he saw the edge of a smirk pulling on his lips, but instead, he remained silent and continued resting there, closing his eyes after a while. Rin was the first to go back to her playful self, torturing Jaken on her way, but Shippo was still too confused. Even if he feared Sesshomaru he had to ask.

"How did you get my spinning top and why did you lie to Kagome?"

Sesshomaru didn't even open his eyes to answer him.

"What I do and why I do it it's none of your concern fox. As for the miko, if she hears any of this I'll have to sever that tail of yours. I'm told that humans use fox's furs to make coats for the winter. Maybe I'll have one made out of yours for Rin."

Shippo "eeped" and took off running hugging his tail.

On her path to oblivion Kagome decided that indeed, Sesshomaru was being very talkative, especially to her, as of late.


	3. About Revelations

**So terribly sorry it took this long to update. What can I say? life happened. It's been a horrible year for me for many reasons and I couldn't find it in me to write about anything. I'm not sure I'm any good at writing battle/action scenes. This one is my first, so please, be gentle with me :) I still need a beta. English is not my first language and I'm publishing this reluctantly because I don't want it to stay any longer in my computer. I try to edit as much as I can but if you find typos or other mistakes, please, kindly refer them to me so that I can edit them. Also, if any of you readers happens to be a beta or wants to be, I'm open to suggestions. Any questions, coments or reviews will be welcomed. **

**Usual disclaimer applies. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3 – About Revelations<strong>

_I'm restless. It's been two days since Inuyasha and the others left. They should be back by now and I'm here left alone to wonder. The only explanation for their delay that comes to my mind is that they might have encountered problems or may have been hurt, and the one consolation I have is that, should Naraku cross their paths, he'll find that the fragments are not in their possession and thus might loose his interest in battling them. He's a coward, after all, and if there's nothing for him in it he won't risk himself. Of course, wounding Inuyasha would be a great asset, but he knows better than to confront him when he has so many things to loose. No, he's reserving his power, for the jewel, and for something else… but what? _

_And instead of having nightmares about him or dreaming about my friends and family I keep on having dreams of Sesshomaru. The mighty jerk disappeared after humiliating me yesterday and for that I must say I'm grateful. For once, I have to agree with Inuyasha, even if he is not present at the time; why in the seven hells hadn't Sesshomaru__already left? He always shows himself adamant at the idea of spending more days around us than the strictly necessary, and that means either rumors of jewel fragments (therefore, the chance of meeting Naraku and/or minions), or Naraku and/or minions themselves. This is none of that. If he wanted action he could have very well left with the others. Instead he chooses to stay here with the only apparent purpose of irritating me to no end. Not only did the bastard had to humiliate me and question my powers (in front of the kids, on top of that) but also, his presence around is stopping me from going home, get some real medicines for Kaede and enjoy a mattress and the air con if just for a damned while. He is beginning to make my life even more miserable than it already was, and that is without mentioning his dream self._

_Last night I dreamt that I was following his lead walking down a path through the forest… and that was it. Only that, that's not it, because the dream repeated itself tonight. And, _this_ is it, because when I woke up I was actually _walking _through the stupid clearing outside the village. This was already bad enough, now it's worse. Bad because I've already grown accustomed to his presence, to his aura, mostly because I feel it every night in my dreams as non-threatening (well, most of my dreams are non-threatening anyways). It's not that I don't find him imposing, mind you; the guy has exactly that look on his face that dares you to just try to think of him otherwise. It's… I don't even know what the fuck it is. What started as non-sense images has taken a turn for the sinister. They are now so frigging vivid scenes that I have started mixing dreams with reality and my only theories about the dreams being more or less affected by his presence are quickly falling to pieces. The dreams remain, whether he is near or not. Hell, I would understand at this point if, instead of him, my dreams every night portrayed Naraku, but Sesshomaru… not only they are pointless, they feel kind of… obsessive, the way they come to me. _

Kagome stopped writing with a groan. _Am I making a mountain out of a molehill with all of this? _She threw her head backwards, mildly hitting herself repeatedly against the wood of the well. _Please, make this stop. _Although she didn't know what kamis she should be begging to anymore.

What she knew is that she should be heading back soon to administer Kaede's good morning dose of herbal tea. Dawn was coming soon, she realized. The stars had been fading for a while and the sky was beginning to lighten over the horizon. It was still hot at nights but today there was a light breeze that lulled the thick canopy of the trees. She closed her eyes dizzily while she rejoiced in the scent of the forest. When she sensed his strong aura she didn't bother herself with opening her eyes.

Sesshomaru looked at the girl at the far end of the clearing. He knew she could sense him, but she didn't bother to acknowledge his presence. He dully wondered when exactly did he make himself look so oblivious to humans. Then again, this girl never cowered in fear by his mere sight, as many others would, so he supposed hers was the exception to the rule, must be, if not, he would seriously have to consider taking measures to regain his former reputation. He approached her quietly while pondering her reasons to be out of the village so early in the morning. For what he had seen on other occasions she wasn't even a morning person. But then again, it didn't surprise him that much, did it? She slowly opened her eyes and directed her gaze to his own. He found slightly disconcerting the vacant expression she held on her face.

"Miko. It's impolite to stare."

_Huh?_ Kagome had felt his presence moving towards her, as the other countless times it had. She took one long breath before deciding to open her eyes and look at him. He looked somewhat ethereal, his figure so white in the morning mists.

However, she was caught by surprise by what he said. This dream-Sesshomaru seemed as detached as his real snobby self.

The girl didn't seem to react. Maybe she had hit her head. Well, that wasn't his problem. He decided to give it a last try.

"Hn, for someone who claims to be educated you fail to show your modals, miko."

Suddenly realization came over her. Her eyes widened as she jumped from were she was sitting, loosing her balance and stumbling backwards over the rim of the well. It happened too fast, one second she was sure she was about to fall into the well (and therefore revealing her little secret), and the next she found her upper body balancing over the edge, secured by the waist, encircled in Sesshomaru's only arm. For a moment Kagome could only see his eyes, too stunned to take in anything else. Next thing she noticed was the proximity. Kagome tried to move out of his grasp but he held her just where she was, feeling the pull of magic and time in the ends of her hair and far _too close_ to his body for comfort, and she just knew every bit of his actions were perfectly intentional. His face was stoic as ever but his voice was laced with malice with what he said next.

"My, my, miko… You could have fallen into this old deep well and broken yourself beyond repair. You're lucky I was feeling generous and saved your life."

_He knows. _She cringed mentally.

His grip relented and she wriggled out of his touch.

"Generous?" She asked sarcastically while she shook off the dust from her backside, "that's fresh, Sesshomaru. By the way, you didn't safe my life. The Bone Eater's Well is not _that_ deep."

Sesshomaru turned and started to walk towards the village, with Kagome following, much to her chagrin.

"And how would you know, miko, have you been inside before?"

_He must be seriously underestimating me if he thinks I'm going down that easily. _

"I might be human, Sesshomaru, not blind." Kagome thought she heard him scoff at that statement. "I've taken a few looks into its depths when villagers threw demon corpses inside. If something you saved my limbs from getting broken."

"Be that as it may, miko, you owe a debt to this Sesshomaru."

"A… a debt?" She asked incredulously. Then something clicked. "I wasn't _staring_! I was… daydreaming!"

"Of this Sesshomaru?"

Well, that was a fairly accurate approach to the subject. Of course, she wasn't about to tell him just that.

"You wish…" She scoffed instead under her breath.

"No, miko, I shudder."

When Kagome was about to retort, mouth full of colorful words to throw him, Kohaku appeared in front of them.

"Morning Kohaku!" She said cheerily instead.

Kohaku threw a passing glance at her arm, which she covered out of habit. The gesture, Kohaku misinterpreted. With his head slightly to the side, preventing to look her directly in the eye, he answered, out of courtesy.

"Good morning, Kagome-sama."

Then he continued walking towards the river. Kagome had to suppress a groan of frustration. What was wrong with everybody? Why couldn't Kohaku talk to her like a normal person would? And why was Sesshomaru so interested in rousing her and acting so out of character? It was clear that he knew something about the well. What exactly she couldn't tell, and the more he tried to choke the information out of her, the more evident that there was something there to hide was bound to get. And she was anxious enough already, thank you very much. Which lead her to another crazy thought.

Kagome run till she was walking beside Sesshomaru again.

"Sesshomaru?"

He didn't say anything nor spent an acknowledging glance at her but Kagome took it as an invitation to continue talking. "I… I'm worried… about Inuyasha and the others. I know this may sound absurd but… you see… if I could borrow AhUn and-"

"No."

She staggered a little. She wasn't expecting him to cooperate, but it was to his interest as well.

"Why not? I mean, AhUn is bored to death and I wouldn't wander very far, just to the outskirts, to see if I catch sight of them…"

"No." He said again putting some distance between himself and the miko. "You might want to be here if he comes, miko."

"W… What?" Kagome stopped dead in her tracks, looking confused at the back of the demon lord. _What the hell? Isn't exactly that the point? That he isn't coming? Cocky, egotistical demon, what does he mean by that? _A nerve in her eye twitched and she couldn't stop yelling at his retreating figure.

"Well, for someone who claims to be all logical, you fail to make a point, Sesshomaru!" _And now I talk to myself. Jeez, this is going to be a long day. _

* * *

><p>Clouds had being gathering all day in the sky as if accompanying the ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something bad was about to happen and she just knew it. The sense of dread was killing her. The atmosphere was heavier than usual on a sultry day and the heat was just unbearable. The cicadas' songs were almost hysterical, making her head throb. The rain that wasn't falling, the smell of raw earth in the air, Kaede's occasional moans of pain, the kids' unusual silence… Everything felt so wrong that she had to resist the urge to throw up from the nerves. Instead she had taken to pace. She would have even considered talking to the stupid Sesshomaru had he been there, but his mightiness and Jaken had disappeared for the day again. When after a while she noticed the kids' stares on her she realized that maybe it would be a better idea to take her anxiousness outside. She practiced with her bow and when she felt she had abused enough of one poor innocent tree, she resolved to go towards the river to gather water for the dinner.<p>

It was late afternoon, darker than a normal day should be at those hours, but the clouds didn't relent and it was already pitch black. Her feet played in the water relieving into its coolness, feeling the little slippery fishes swimming down the stream as they passed between her legs. She was walking knee deep in the river when she noticed something was awfully wrong. The forest had gone completely silent. No birds chirping while they returned to their nests, no cicadas, no crickets, no nothing. She tensed immediately. She didn't know for how long she had been there or when did the sounds stop, but she knew for sure it was time to go back. As she put on her shoes an unearthly thunder bellowed in the sky. A shudder traveled down her spine and she clutched her bow fiercely, suddenly very happy that for once in her life it was with her. Then, muffled by the sound of another thunder, she heard it, a distant cry of terror. She stopped dead on her tracks by what she felt next.

"No…"

Of all the possible scenarios _that one_ was potentially the worst.

She moved silently towards the sickening aura, as fast as one could be while being noiseless. Her feet took her to the well's clearing. She suppressed a gasp of horror at the scene that took place before her eyes.

"My, my, my… what's Sesshomaru's little runt doing here?"

Rin was struggling with all her might against Naraku's grasp on her hair, flailing infant hands at his arms trying maybe to scratch, but she wasn't strong enough and her arms were just too short. She was just a scared little kid praying to the kamis for her prince to come soon and save her. She was about to scream again when a hiss crossed the air and the grip on her hair relented. Her upper body fell to the ground. She was expecting to see him, to hear his soothing voice, but instead she heard her. It wasn't his prince, but it was her new dashing princess, and she doubted she had ever felt more grateful in all her short life after being revived.

"Leave her. Now."

She had been watching Naraku walking through the clearing pulling Rin from her hair, closely followed by Kanna. This was no puppet, this was very much the real thing and he had the jewel with him. She couldn't simply stand by and watch. The moment she saw Rin she forgot about hiding or much anything else. Something clicked inside her and before she could manage any rational thought, the arrow flew through the air and hit Naraku's hand.

"Leave her. Now." Kagome's legs were trembling but her voice was steady and stern. They would be serving ice cream on hell the day she showed her fear. At least the bastard had the decency to seem surprised.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise… I wasn't expecting to see _you_ here, miko."

Naraku shot a quick glance at Kanna. The void child looked at her master and then at Kagome.

"The mirror has a will of it's own. It doesn't show always _everything_ you want it to show." She said motionless.

"Indeed." Naraku wrinkled his mouth in disgust, clenching and unclenching his wounded hand. The arrow wasn't very powerful, just a warning, he supposed. Still, even if the girl held more power now that Kikyo was dead and she had her soul complete again, she was alone and he had the jewel. She was just a hindrance. She held her stance with her bow pointed at him. _Ridiculous_, he thought. He wanted to laugh out loud at the irony of it all. His plan to use the miko's friendship with the wolf to drag the ragtag band of Inuyasha away from Inuyasha's forest had actually worked in the best way possible. Who better to test his new discoveries than her? The only thing stopping him from bursting out laughing was the other girl, Sesshomaru's pet. He wasn't sure why she was there, maybe the youkai lord had finally left her in human's hands but, if that wasn't the case, Sesshomaru could be a problem. Of course, while the brat was in his possession, the dog would have to behave. No, he would not be stopped tonight. Today was the beginning of the end and there will be no one to stop him from achieving what he wanted.

Naraku had a dark look on his face, Kagome decided. Darker than usual. She didn't like the idea of him being so close to their base camp, and now she knew, without hint of doubt, that her friends had been dragged down a trap. At least, she thought, Naraku being _here _with her meant he wasn't _there_. Anyways, it wasn't time to be worried about Inuyasha and the others. She was alone against Naraku and Kanna, therefore, she was in a far worse position. She didn't have a chance in hell to take this two down and her cover had been completely blown in the prospect of aiding Rin and now was definitely not the time to regret it. Were the heck was Sesshomaru when they needed him?

She clenched her teeth. Kagome was afraid to fight this battle alone, but she would fight it, nonetheless.

"What are you doing here Naraku?"

"I guess I could ask _you_ the same question, priestess... But let me ask this one first, where is Inuyasha?"

The bastard was mocking her. She focused her energy in finding where exactly did he have the jewel shard. It was so corrupted it was difficult to concentrate. _Damn, where is it?_

"Well, Inuyasha is on summer vacation. I'm afraid you won't be able to see him."

"Regardless, I will leave him a message. That is, of course, if he's able to come back. Kanna…"

Her body got into action as soon as she saw Naraku give his order to Kanna. She wasn't exactly afraid of the mirror, she was more afraid of the fact that Naraku was moving towards Rin, who had been trying to come her way unnoticed, so her arrow flew in his direction.

This time he saw it on time to erect a barrier around him.

"Leave her alone and maybe I won't hurt you." She shouted.

At that Naraku had to laugh. "My, aren't we hilarious… And pray tell, priestess, what are you going to do against us, alone?"

"Let's see"

This time she fully charged her arrow with her energy. She could feel the shard, it was there, but why couldn't she find it? She would fire, regardless, if not to the shard to Naraku's barrier. Her whole body was glowing by the time she released her arrow.

"Rin! Come here! Run!"

At the same time, Kagome heard Naraku shout, "Kanna!"

The arrow was strong. His barrier cackled and cracked, and the arrow pierced through it. Not strong enough, though. It had taken all the energy from the arrow to brake through so it was harmless when it hit him. Still, he would have to be careful. It had been a long time since his last battle with the miko and now it looked like he had underestimated her powers. _Again_, he thought of that time when he lost his whole body to one simple arrow. _No, not again_…

"Kanna!" He screamed.

The void child directed her expressionless face to Kagome.

"I can't take her soul." She said. "It's too big for the mirror. But I can take hers."

She pointed her mirror to Rin, who was desperately trying to fight against Naraku's oppressing youki and the mirror's pull on her soul.

Kagome was beginning to despair. She couldn't see the shard and she was too busy minding Rin's welfare to concentrate. At Kanna's statement she run into the clearing, forgetting about putting some distance between her and the enemy and disregarding the fact that hers was a long range weapon. Either she did something or Rin's soul would be entrapped. She concentrated her powers on her hand and ran towards Rin's body.

"I… won't… _allow you_!" she shouted.

She threw her body over Rin's at the same time she placed her hand on the ground, effectively erecting a barrier of spiritual energy around them. _Damn, damn, damn!_

She now could see that Rin had a nasty gash in her right arm.

"Rin… I don't know how long I can hold this. When the barrier falls, I will fire all my arrows to them. I need you to run as fast as you can."

"But…"

"Listen Rin, they are a bit too much for me and the shard… I can't find it… Gosh, I don't know how I always get myself into these messes… Look at me." Rin's eyes focused on Kagome's. "I need to find the shard. I need to concentrate for a few seconds. You stay inside the barrier while it holds. Whenever it comes down you run, do you understand? Run with all your might and look for Sesshomaru, no matter what's happening here. Can I have your word?"

Rin had her eyes brimming with tears but her expression held resolve. She nodded to Kagome.

"Good."

Inmediately she closed her eyes. She felt it, it's presence, calling to her, but it wasn't inside Naraku's body. _Where is it..._

A blur of images passed right in front of her eyes and a child's song replayed in her head:

_Kagome kagome, the bird in the cage,  
>when, when will you come out?<br>In the evening of the dawn,_

_Who stands right behind you now?_

_I know... _And as she opened her eyes, the barrier fell.

Kagome pointed an arrow at Naraku who now was only a few meters away. She fired, even though she new it would probably be pointless, to buy some time for Rin, and then pointed another arrow to his heart.

"I know where the jewel is Naraku." He chuckled as he repaired the cracks in his barrier with his energy. This would be so easy for him... And just like that, in the last second, her bow twanged and her arrow took aim... at the mirror.

Kanna didn't even have time to react. The arrow trespassed the glass and released a wave of purifying energy. Naraku's barrier fell and he yowled, the earth trembling under her unsteady feet.

"You will not escape, miko. I know your little secret." He hollered angry this time.

The storm broke in the sky, releasing lighting and, finally, the rain.

Kagome tried to crawl her way out of the clearing knowing well that now that the jewel had been partly purified Naraku would not be exactly easy on her. The earth moved again under her body and this time she had to release her bow to take hold of the ground with her bare hands. She chanced a glance at her surroundings and saw two things that terrified her. First, Rin was only a few feet away from her, the other were Naraku's tentacles digging through the ground as living roots coming towards them.

"Rin, move!"

But it was too late, too late for everything. The tentacles gathered her and Rin, breaking skin in the process. _The spider man is having us for dinner tonight_, she thought almost hopeless. The tentacle holding her in a vice grip brought her closer to Naraku's face.

"You're not half the woman Kikyo was but I will give you some credit for this bothersome encounter. You should have gone with your friends Kagome," he said, her name like a hiss on his lips, "but I can't help but find rather amusing the way things have turned out."

He was choking her and in her hazy mind a question replayed over and over again: _why in the mirror?_

Naraku followed her teary gaze to the mirror and chuckled while bringing her even closer to his face.

"You wonder, miko? I will show you..." Kagome widened her eyes in horror as she realized his steps were slowly and deliberately taking them to the well. "Kikyo would have never let this happen... You see? Your arrow purified part of the jewel but you failed to break the mirror... and I will use it, Kagome, I will _see_, and you won't be able to do anything. What are _you_ doing here? That's a question that has mystified me for all these years..." She felt a shiver run down her spine at his words. She wanted to shout, she wanted to do something, but his hold on her was strong and vicious. Not strong enough to kill her but enough to leave her without moves or energy to pull out of it. He stared at the well and Kagome begun to loose all confidence that something miraculous was going to happen. Then he continued talking. "It was a clever move, I have to admit, you discovered the shard and destroyed my barrier. Had you been Kikyo maybe I would have feared, but you are nothing but a powerless incarnation, alone and disarmed, and sadly for you I'm the strongest being here..."

"That you wish, Naraku."

His voice was as cool as the rain falling on them and Kagome thought that she would have sighed had she had any air left on her.

"Sesshomaru..." Naraku snorted. "To what do I owe this pleasure? Surely you didn't come because you care about this child's life" said Naraku moving the tentacle that held Rin's body.

"Sesshomaru sama!" Rin shouted.

Sesshomaru, collected as ever, raised his body from the ground in a single movement advancing towards Naraku, cutting easily tentacle after tentacle of his vile body. However, new ones soon replaced the cut ones and, even if Sesshomaru could go on like this for hours, it would be pointless. Rin was in the way of trying something slightly more drastic and Naraku new this too well. That was the reason he had probably taken her in the first place. Sesshomaru was never far from her and that could mean a real obstacle.

If only she could force Naraku to release Rin, Sesshomaru would be able to focus his attacks, but she was mostly powerless without her bow. There was only one thing she could do. She could summon all her spiritual power and try to burn the monster with her bare hands. That would most likely cause one of the following reactions: either Naraku released her, which would allow her access to her weapon, or at least he would turn his attention to her, which would give an opening to Sesshomaru to do something about Rin. There was only one major problem though if that were to happen, she would be in Sesshomaru's line of fire and Kagome didn't have the slightest doubt that Sesshomaru would disregard her existence without so much as a passing thought.

_So much for an ally..._

There was no doubt in her mind she had to do this. She had to help and this was right now her only hidden trump.

Without giving herself the opportunity to think about the consequences she called forth her power. With all the youki around her it didn't take much of an effort to make it burst.

Sesshomaru, who had been watching her, didn't even wait for a reaction. As soon as Naraku's eyes strayed to the miko he jumped in and cut the tentacle that held Rin. Sadly for Kagome her attack hadn't been strong enough to make him let go of her. She was now Naraku's only liability against Sesshomaru.

_Good god... I'm gonna die._

"Well, Sesshomaru, you have your ward back. It looks like you and I will have to put our differences aside for now. I have matters to... attend to, with the human miko. Surely you won't want to waste your time with us."

Even if his hold had increased ten fold on her and all her internal organs seemed to be shriveling, Kagome had to chuckle at that.

Sesshomaru said nothing. He simply prepared his sword for an attack.

Kanna, who had remained motionless through the whole ordeal, readied her mirror. Too bad that that was her only power because, when Rin tackled her to the ground and began hitting her with her tiny hands she became impotent.

Kagome felt a pang of pride course through her but it was short lived. Naraku was beginning to choke the life out of her.

"My, Sesshomaru, if you attack me now I will be forced to use the miko's body as a shield. You wouldn't want to see that, am I wrong? After all she saved your little girl and you have warrior's honor, don't you?"

Sesshomaru's face remained impassive while he talked.

"I doubt you know what honor is, Naraku, you that hide behind a girl, much less what being a warrior means. Pathetic."

Kagome braced herself for the onslaught. In the back of her mind Rin's shout was heard like a welcomed whisper. At least there was someone there that cared for her. Sure enough, the first waves of Tokijin's attack felt like daggers of fire cutting through her skin and bones. When she thought she wouldn't be able to stand it any longer, something awakened inside her. If it was part of her powers Kagome did not now, but it was fighting back and, ironically, while trying to use her as a shield, much of the force of both attacks was taken by Naraku's frame. The tentacle that held her suddenly contracted and released her, propelling her out of the path of destruction and just in front of her bow.

With tears in her eyes Kagome forced herself into a sitting position. She couldn't think of a part of her body that didn't hurt, but Naraku was returning Sesshomaru's attacks even if Tokijin had devoured already part of his body. He had the strength of the jewel after all. Kanna, finally freeing herself from Rin, was creating the perfect distraction for Naraku to escape using her mirror again against Rin.

"Naraku," Kagome hollered, "you wretched bastard!" With the remaining energy she could muster she charged her arrow and aimed. "I didn't break the mirror because I wasn't aiming at it! You shouldn't underestimate me!"

Her arrow hissed while crossing the clearing and impaling itself in the mirror, shattering and piercing it, purifying the jewel and killing Kanna instantly. Kagome couldn't even watch her deed, her upper body gave up and she blacked out.

Sesshomaru attacked again with his own hands destroying the remains of Naraku's body but it was already too late, the saimiyosho, always hiding close to Naraku, had taken the jewel to him and the monster was using it to create a barrier to escape.

"I know where you come from." He shouted to the unconscious miko as the rest of his body began to fade away. "I will come back and not even you Sesshomaru will be able to stop me. This is just a battle lost. The war is still on and I will win."

Sesshomaru pondered for a minute if he should follow but experience told him otherwise. Rin was completely exposed now and the abomination that was Naraku still had the jewel. Naraku finally disappeared and Sesshomaru was about to sheath his sword when he noticed something odd. There was no energy coming from it.

"Hn" he thrust Tokijin into the ground as if testing something, and the sword broke in two halves. As if on cue, he looked to where the miko was lying on the ground, a few feet away from him. Rin was by her side pillowing her head in her lap, cleaning the rain from Kagome's face while trying to suppress tears.

"Kagome..." she whispered, as if afraid of hurting her even more.

To Sesshomaru's surprise, the woman lifted a hand to Rin's cheek.

"Ugh… I… I'm ok Rin. More or less, I think…"

At that the kid began to sob uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I shouldn't..."

"You shouldn't have been here Rin." Sesshomaru cut. "I believe I told you to stay in the village."

Kagome sat up with the help of Rin, assessing the gashes and other injuries on her body, as well as checking the little girl's.

"This wasn't her fault. Stop scolding her. Ouch!" Kagome took her hands to her side wondering with resignation if there was a broken rib there.

Sesshomaru was furious for many reasons. Rin's disobedience, Naraku's neverending plots, the damnable jewel, the miko's insolence, the miko's secrets, the miko's predictable unpredictability, the miko, the miko, the miko… But overall he was furious with himself, so he took a deep breath… and decided to take it out on the miko.

"Do not intercede priestess."

"A bit too late for that, don't you think?" she said clutching Rin's shoulder for help while trying to stand up.

"She kept me safe, Sesshomaru sama, I could have died." He wanted to disagree on that one. He would have never let that happen. But he couldn't say so unless he wanted to admit that he had partially known this was going to happen and that he had been watching most of what had transpired and, further more, his motives for not interceding sooner. So he stayed silent and let her go on.

"You could have killed her."

Indeed he could have. Yet he didn't. And she had managed somehow to escape unscathed (mostly, considering) yet once again from one of his attacks. Add that too to the annoyance list. But what intrigued him most was that Rin seemed hurt. She was putting the miko before him and that almost looked like a blow to his pride. But wasn't that what he had wanted all along? Damn humans. All his life trying to stay apart from them and now it seemed mostly to revolve around these two girls. How his father must have laughed from the afterlife.

"Regardless, Rin, I expect you to listen when you are told to do something."

Kagome looked up at Sesshomaru and wondered what was behind that bland expression of his. Was just his pride that was hurt or his parental instincts?

"I did, but I had to come and find Kagome."

"Find me for what Rin?"

"Kirara arrived a while ago with Miroku and a wolf on his back. They are hurt."

Kagome faltered and Rin was almost pushed to the ground by her weight.

"Damn! Please, help me get to them."

Rin was accommodating Kagome's arm on her shoulders when something shinning in the rain caught her attention.

"Sesshomaru sama! Your sword!"

"Useless."

Sesshomaru followed silent watching them. Some things were easier to let go than others.

* * *

><p>Koga was sleeping, forehead covered in sweat and tremors going through his body. Koga that couldn't stay out of trouble, much like her, was badly wounded and she couldn't say if he would survive the night. Miroku was being tended by Kohaku who was giving him something to drink.<p>

"Kagome sama, what happened to you? You look like you fell from a tree."

"Sorta." He had been poisoned; he probably sucked too many insects with his kazaana. "I obviously tried to climb too high. You don't look so swell yourself."

"I guess not. But I protected what is important."

"How are..."

"They are fine, they don't look half as bad as we do, don't worry. Furry ears and beautiful Sango will come back. They stayed to wipe the remaining demons and sent us back to prepare the welcome home committee."

Miroku and his never ending sense of humor. There wasn't anything that he couldn't cope with, anything but poison. He seemed to be struggling not to fall asleep but the pain must have been unbearable. Finally, the concoction began to take effect and his eyes closed.

"He never stops talking." She said aloud. "Will you take care of them Kohaku? I need to go someplace but I'll be back shortly."

Kohaku nodded despite his worried expression.

"She'll be back." She said to the boy. After all, the worst had taken place closer than he suspected.

She got up, still hurt, assessing for the last time the injured and the sick, making a list in her head. Then she shot a glance at Sesshomaru who remained casually leaning against the doorframe of the hut.

"Will you accompany me, please?" She asked.

He didn't say a word but stepped aside to let her lead the way.

* * *

><p>"I've never been good at hiding things. Inuyasha says I'm too transparent. I'm still at odds with everything, after so many years I don't quite understand how this world works or why am I allowed to be here. Sometimes I think it's a privilege. Sometimes I think it's a curse. I'm stuck, you know?" Sesshomaru stayed silent watching as she walked slowly holding a hand to her ribs occasionally. "It was on my 15th birthday. My brother was playing with the cat and suddenly "boom!" I'm torn from everything I know. There's a beast biting my side, tearing my flesh, then there is a boy with white hair and dog ears, and a jewel, but you know that part already. I've come to think of my shattering the jewel as a cruel joke of the fates. But then again, maybe, after all, I'm supposed to be here." Kagome stopped in front of the well. "You probably have no idea what I'm talking about."<p>

Sesshomaru wanted to point out that he was sure where she was headed, though her speech seemed to him to be rather cryptic, even for her. Suddenly she seemed older, her eyes focused on the well held a myriad of feelings.

"How can two things be so close and so distant at the same time?" Then she turned around and looked at him. "I'm going home to get some medicines. I'm tired of the old ways and I refuse to watch any of my friends die. You can stay here and wait or go to Rin. I promise that when I come back I will explain everything."

And then she jumped inside the well. Sesshomaru's impulse was to reach out to catch her and ask her to explain _now_. He didn't like riddles and he was tired of this one. What was even worse, it compromised not only her future but also all of theirs. But when he extended his hand there was only air and a touch of magic. He had never been so eager for answers in all his life.

* * *

><p>Five hundred years in the future. The answer only generated more questions, however there were priorities.<p>

"I knew you suspected something but we've been enemies for so long I didn't trust to tell you. Not right away. After tonight's events I thought you deserved to know, even if only for her sake."

It had been clever and foolish at the same time. She trusted too much Inuyasha's judgment and that was her undoing. But there was nothing they could do about that now. What's done it's done and even if she had the capacity to leap between times there was no way she could change it now.

"He must have figured it out."

"How?"

"Miko, you pretend to tell me that you haven't realized Naraku has spies everywhere. Surely you are not that stupid."

"My, was that a compliment Sesshomaru? Of course I know. But what was I supposed to do? I can't leave my life and family behind and can't I leave the jewel to the others, that's my responsibility. Even if he knows the well is a portal he doesn't know where it leads to. For all he knows it could be dangerous to him."

So, she had a sense of responsibility and she was stupid.

"He came tonight to confirm what's on the other side. He hasn't seen your world yet, what do you think he'll do when he does."

"I won't allow him."

"You have given him too many clues already. The desire is settled, he probably has no need to see."

"What do you mean?"

"You are inexperienced in everything concerning demons. You lack the skills to fight and you are too trusting towards them. A miko traveling with a hanyou and a demon kit. Preposterous."

"Midoriko traveled with a demon."

"Midoriko traveled with a pet. She would have beheaded Inuyasha long before he shaked his ears for the first time. Tell me miko, how many demons did you lay eyes upon in your world before you came to this one for the first time."

"None. But my powers awakened that same day. I may have crossed many without knowing they were there."

"Oh, but they would have noticed you, or rather, the jewel. It's not difficult to deduce that either in your world there are no demons or there are so few their numbers are irrelevant."

Kagome was beginning to see the reasoning.

"Naraku has realized that, even if he completes the jewel, even if he makes a wish, there will be others with power. And power always poses a challenge when two want to posses it. But, in your world he could have what he has always wanted. You realize yours hasn't been the only revelation tonight. Naraku has made a declaration of intentions."

They stayed silent for a couple of minutes. Kagome's mind was reeling, the pain and the lack of rest forgotten, a strong dizziness setting in. How had they been so oblivious to that simple fact all these years?

"The well won't let him pass."

"How did you open the portal."

She sighed, tired. "I have no idea. Did she? Did I? Or was it the jewel?."

"_Who_ can use it."

"Only me but..." And it hit her. It hit her so hard she had to hold herself with a hand against the hut.

"But"

Kagome's hands began to tremble and tears brimmed her eyes.

"I need at least a fragment of the jewel to do it." Naraku had practically the whole of them.

Fools. All of them were fools, him included. So blinded by his own vendettas, by his own pride, he had purposely ignored the real menace. He should have forced her to tell him sooner, and somehow he suspected her silence wasn't her choice. Of course, this changed part of his own plans, but then again, priorities were priorities.

"Do you know how to close the portal?"

Kagome was shaking like a leaf against the outside wall of the hut. Sesshomaru took her silence as a no.

"Then we need a way to destroy it, and you need to choose a side."

"I know" she said in a whisper. _I just don't want to do it._

Her body gave up before she even had the chance to go inside.


End file.
